A proposed sewer plant, for Storm King School, is before the Cornwall-on-Hudson Planning Board. If approved, the building housing the plant would be located behind one of the dorms located on Deer Hill Road.
The Cornwall-on-Hudson Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Feb. 18, to seek input on a proposed sewage plant by Storm King School.
Charles Frankel, a partner with Rider, Weiner, & Frankel and attorney for the project, said Storm King School currently has its own in-ground septic system which, due to new state regulations, needs to be upgraded. The thought was the best way to do this was by building a sewer plant because the school is too far to hook up to the Town of Cornwall sewer system.
“The sewer plant will allow them to treat the sewage that’s produced on campus to a much better extent than any other system they could design,” Frankel said. “If they were just upgrading their septic system, it would not result in the quality of effluent that they will have from this system. It will also allow them to grow the school, which they have plans to do over the next few years.”
The proposed location for the plant is behind one of the dorms located on Deer Hill Road. There’s an access road, which leads down a short hill, where a hockey rink was once located. The rink is no longer in use, but the blacktop still remains.
One of the concerns members of the planning board have is the appearance of the plant. Frankel said the plant will be located within a building designed to blend in with the surroundings. He added, because the structure will be located at the bottom of a slope, it won’t pose a problem with a neighboring resident’s window view.
Another concern is any residual odor coming from the plant. Frankel said for the most part no odor will emanate from the structure except when solid waste is picked up.
“Those solids are pumped out by a truck,” Frankel said. “During the process of hooking up the pipes, there could be some odors. I’m told that process is once every two to four weeks and would take about 15 to 20 minutes during normal business hours.”
The final concern is what the plans are if there was a catastrophic failure and the plant stopped working. Frankel said engineers are preparing a disaster plan which will address this concern.
